Manchester City beat Wolves as Gabriel Jesus hits two
Gabriel Jesus scored twice as Manchester City moved back within four points of Premier League leaders Liverpool with a comfortable 3-0 win over 10-man Wolves.
The Brazilian struck after just 10 minutes at the Etihad Stadium and added a penalty before the break as City made easy work of their visitors, who had Willy Boly sent off after 19 minutes.
Boly, who controversially scored off his hand when the sides drew 1-1 at Molineux in August, received a straight red for a bad challenge on Bernardo Silva.
City wrapped up victory when a Kevin De Bruyne cross was turned into his own net by Wolves captain Conor Coady.
De Bruyne had started on the bench along with Sergio Aguero but, such is the depth of City's squad, their superiority was established long before either appeared in the second half.
The Premier League weekend concludes at the Etihad Stadium this evening. Manchester City have scored 16 goals across their last 180 minutes of football, but were held by their opponents tonight in the reverse fixture earlier in the season. With every point crucial as the title race intensifies, could Wolves produce a similar result away from home?
Wolves have, of course, beaten two of the top three in the last two weeks or so, and they'll be looking for an unlikely trifecta of scalps tonight.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side have shown that a commitment to playing football can produce results against the country's best teams. Can they shock again this evening?
Pep Guardiola makes a slew of changes from that remarkable 9-0 victory against Burton. Ederson is back in goal; John Stones and Aymeric Laporte return in the heart of the defence; Danilo starts at left-back; and a remodelled front-six includes Raheem Sterling, Fernandinho and Bernardo Silva.
Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero are among those held in reserve.
A tad out of favour at the moment, Kevin De Bruyne is nonetheless one of the Premier League's most gifted players, but not one who has found his way to the top without hard work.
Though he's found Bernardo and David Silva hard to displace in midfield since returning from injury, De Bruyne is emphasising hard work for he and his team as they look to keep winning:
It is a midfield full of quality for the visitors tonight, with a pair of Portuguese passers in Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves complemented by promising Belgian midfield anchor Leander Dendoncker.
Dendoncker, who is also comfortable in defence, has found time on the pitch hard to come by since arriving in the Midlands, but he has finally forced his way into the Wolves starting lineup and looks set to kick on in the second half of his year-long loan deal.
It is surely the best midfield outside the top six, but can they cope with Manchester City's in-form trio...
It was an early-season meeting at Molineux, an entertaining game that saw Manchester City blip for the first time in the young season.
Willy Boly's controversial goal that appeared to come off his arm was cancelled out by a header from fellow French centre-half Aymeric Laporte, and the August encounter finished 1-1.
Nuno Espirito Santo drew praise for his refusal to be overawed by their opponents in a result that set the tone for Wolves' strong season so far.
With victory tonight, Wolves will go at least eighth...
Seven against Rotherham, nine against Burton and Manchester City are now jus four goals short of notching their 100th of the 2018-19 season in all competitions.
Wolves will represent a sterner test, you feel, but with Gabriel Jesus back in rich goalscoring form, it is not out of the question that City cross that century threshold this evening.
Raheem Sterling twists this way and that, somewhat flummoxing Jonny Otto who does well to recover and force a rushed cross, which is headed away by Ryan Bennett.
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports’ Premier League and Main Event channels from 7pm. Sky Sports subscribers can also watch the game via the Sky Go app.
The match will also be available on Now TV by grabbing a day pass for just £7.99. https://www.nowtv.com/watch-sky-sports-online
Highlights will be shown at 10pm on Sky Sports Premier League.
Player to watch…
Gabriel Jesus: The Brazilian’s early season woes look to be behind him after his four-goal show against Burton Albion. While the striker will face much sterner defences this season, importantly it seemed his confidence, his sharpness and the decisiveness of his movement all seemed to be in full flow. Wolves will no doubt prove to be resilient, and Jesus may prove to be a vital option to Guardiola going forward.
Gabriel Jesus celebrates scoring for Manchester City (AFP/Getty)
